Friday, 28 June 2013

Back to Italian motors. We featured Matt of Machine's beautiful Moto Guzzi Mk 1 Le Mans special, with hand-beaten body work by Matt himself, back in Issue Four. Matt's got eclectic tastes as his personal collection bikes demonstrates, as well as the skill and vision to be able to construct anything he likes. But some bikes you can't improve on, and the original Ducati 750 is one of those. Matt is fortunate to own one, and it is stunning.

Saturday, 22 June 2013

Amazing that a bunch of old age pensioners can make such fantastic music - can't stop listening to it, and Rick Rubin's production is perfect. Best album I've heard for a long time. Proper music by Black Sabbath.

Tuesday, 18 June 2013

Though the pic above is from the Terreblanche/Galluzzi concepts built a couple of years back, could it represent what a future Moto Guzzi Le Mans 1300 could look like?

It's always entertaining when a bit of news comes out from somewhere and then all the rumours start. It's already common knowledge that Moto Guzzi are now working on a 1300cc motor for next year which will be - shock horror - water cooled! OK, so the pic above is from the set of the concept bikes

Now, according to automotoscooter.it, (and there's no way we can check if this is true or not), this motor will also be used in a version of the legendary Le Mans model, or name at least. It'll still be the Guzzi V twin, but with twin cams and four valves per cylinder, and water cooling, allowing the motor to produce around 140bhp. Guzzi fans are always clamouring for a fast sports model, having had a glimpse of what might have been, or could still be, with the beautiful MGS-01. The same source also reckons that this would be the end of the line of the 8V motor, currently found in the Griso, Stelvio and Norge models.

The motor is apparently being worked on by Federico Martini, who is Piaggio's (remember, Piaggio own Moto Guzzi..) Head Technical Manager.

People talk about the end of the classic air-cooled V twin Guzzi, but this is unlikely, at least for some time - don't think they would just drop the V7 retro range after flogging so many of them. So does this mean that the 1400cc motor will be scrapped after just a year? Also unlikely, as sales of the Calfornia 1400 are going well in the USA.

'A guitar that was stolen 13 years ago has been reunited with its owner after he tracked it down on eBay.

The 46-year-old is strumming away again after the treasured instrument turned up on the auction website last week. It had disappeared in 2000 in a burglary at his then home in North London. Det Sgt Julie Henderson, of the acquisitive crime unit at Barnet police, said: “We had to act quickly so we could get there before the guitar was sold.

“The owner was very passionate about it and close to tears when we got it back. It’s the first time I’ve seen something recovered that was stolen so long ago. It shows you should never give up hope.”

The culprit was caught and imprisoned at the time, but the guitar seemed lost forever.

It was finally recovered from a Chalk Farm man, who had nothing to do with the theft.

The guitar’s owner, a former rock musician, said: “For the last few years, I’ve had a search saved on eBay for the same type of Crestwood guitar.

“I knew it was mine straight away because I put a sticker of a 1950s pin-up girl on the body and it was still there.

“It was fantastic and quite emotional to get it back. It represented a part of my life and a lot of happy times. It sounds beautiful.”

The guitar was bought in Camden Town in the 1980s and travelled the world on tour with its owner, who was in a successful punk band at the time.

“I’m not a very materialistic person, but this guitar had a lot of memories,” he added.'